I mean seriously, when a friend of mine was downloading Ubuntu, I thought he was downloading a 700MB video file titled U Buntut! And this picture confirmed it. edit: Buntut means butt in malay language

Ok butt jokes aside, this is gonna be a very lame review of Ubuntu 7.04 – lame in a sense that I don’t go very detail into the OS like a techie would, but rather if you’re a person who can’t differentiate between Windows registry and msconfig(just like yours truly) then this review will try to explain it in the simplest way possible, at the expense of much technical info that you wouldn’t have cared about in the first place anyway.

And why am I doing a review of ver 7.04 when ver 7.10 is already out? The thing is, when I was downloading Ubuntu last week, ver 7.04 was the latest one. And I’m not gonna spend another 2 hours downloading something not much different from 7.04.

Digressing, I downloaded the entire 700MB Ubuntu in less than 2 hours! At one point I was downloading at around 600KB/s, that’s almost 5Mbps! You see, I did the whole downloading thing at the faculty during the Raya holidays, when everyone was still not back yet. And I don’t even need to download hi-def video, I STREAM them hehe.

Alright, a bit of intro to Ubuntu (from the installer):

Ubuntu is a complete open source operating system suitable for desktops and servers. The base system and all included software is free, and support is available from the community or by professional support providers. “Ubuntu” is an ancient African word, meaning “humanity to others”. The Ubuntu distribution brings the spirit of Ubuntu to the software world.

Get Ubuntu here. After you’re done downloading, burn it onto a blank CD as an image. Or if you’re using NTI CD Recorder like me, just double click the file and follow the instructions. Very simple.

The moment you load the CD into Windows, you’ll be greeted with a splash screen offering you many open source Windows apps such as Mozilla Firefox and Thunderbird(might not be the latest version though), Abiword, Blender(3D modelling), and ClamWin(antivirus). All are from the OpenCD project meaning they are FREE!

That’s what I like about Ubuntu, not only you’re getting a free OS but also free programs for your Windows as well!

Another cool feature of Ubuntu is that you can run it from the CD if you don’t wish to install it. Nothing will be done on your system. Installation of Ubuntu only occurs once you boot from the CD.

Once Ubuntu is loaded, you’ll be greeted with this GUI: (click pictures to get a larger view!) edit: all pics can be clicked for larger views

You can customize the desktop further – change color, background etc. Just like Windows lah! You can also download themes.

Notice the second icon on the left side of the screen? Choose that if you wish to install Ubuntu. I recommend you install Ubuntu as a second OS for reasons that I will explain later.

This is how the contents of your drive will look like. This is my C: drive, see all the typical windows stuffs like Program Files folder, Windows folder etc.?

What’s the minimum requirements for Ubuntu? Head over to Ubuntu.com to find out more. Rest assured though, it’s gonna be much less than those bullshit recommended 1 gig RAM, 1.5Ghz processor speed Windows Vista would want.

Ubuntu comes with this very nifty feature to make Print Screen easier – say goodbye to pasting in Paint like you used to in Windows.

Ubuntu comes with a hell lot more games than Windows, much better games too.

Notice the row of tabs – ACERDATA, Pictures, Bako Trip, Digicam1, 142 Canon, near the top? These tabs appear as you explore deeper into a folder, and if you wanna go back to say the Pictures folder, just click on it. Very convenient indeed, eliminates the need to press the Back button multiple times.

Now this is where Ubuntu bites into Windows big fat ass. Remember when you first install Windows? It didn’t end there did it? You’ll still have to install Office, antivirus, Firefox, photo editing apps etc. Argh, damn ma fan!

Ubuntu on the other hand, eliminates any unwanted programs and comes pre-installed with the Open Office suit so you can start getting productive immediately!

Just like Word. Or Powerpoint. Or Excel. Except that it’s pre-installed. AND FREE. 😉

Comes with Mozilla Firefox too. Not the latest version though.

And also Ekiga! Ubuntu’s answer to Skype.

Ubuntu’s picture editing app is so much better than that piece of crap aka MS Paint Windows charge you for.

Notice those 2 buttons on the bottom corner right side? These nifty buttons allow you to switch between workspaces. You can be editing pictures and surfing on one workspace, and typing while listening to songs on the other. Almost like having 2 monitors.

To be fair, not everything is a bed of roses for Ubuntu. For one, you can’t straight away listen to your mp3s or wma files – you need to download the respective codecs first. All because of proprietary issues. Same goes to a lot of video file formats – AVI, DivX, etc.

Ok, I’m gonna sum it up by giving you the advantages and disadvantages of Ubuntu –

The good:

1) It’s FREE and comes with a lot of FREE useful apps to get you started (eliminates the need to get you original softwares from Low Yat and Imbi eh? hee hee)

2) Very stable and the minimum requirements are really minimum.

3) You’re protected from 99% of the virus out there. Ubuntu treats virtually all Windows viruses, worms, trojans as if they were gummy bears. EXE viruses?, Ubuntu says bring it on bitch!

The bad:
1) A lot of Windows apps that you’re so used to using like Photoshop, SolidWorks, AutoCad are not yet available on the Linux platform.

2) Don’t expect to play your 3D Windows games on Ubuntu. You can however download lots of simple 2D Ubuntu games 😉

3) Haven’t figured out how to get the Wi-fi working correctly. Was able to go on-line using LAN but not wi-fi. And have yet to test it with Streamyx.

Last words: I highly recommend you to install Ubuntu as a second OS. Imagine this situation: Some bad ass virus decides to corrupt your Windows, you have an important assignment to submit and yet you don’t have the time to reformat and install everything. What do you do? Well if you have Ubuntu, just load it up and you’ll be on your way. How neat is that?

Ubuntu – When Linux pwns Windows’ ass (well, almost).

edit: My stats say this is my most viewed post thus far but I’m scratching my nuts here wondering why so few commented? If you have anything to say, just say it – I promise I won’t bite 😉

There are 3D linux games, and if you do some research you’ll know that it’s not a hoax.

About the wifi issue, i think it’s probably some settings issue.

And about using Ubuntu as your second OS, it’s a risky thing to do. Unless you are quite well versed with linux, or in the sense of programming, it is not recommended for first time linux users to install it onto the hard drive. If not done properly, u might end up with missing partitions (i.e. all your windows based file vaporize into thin air)

Can ya explain more on the minimum requirements, I’m sure a lot of people will be interested to know if they can use their ‘ancient’ computers as the guiney pig for trying out linux. 🙂

Anyway, good effort in promoting Linux…. I’m sure the linux community would much appreciate it. Everyone that reads this, please do try it out through the “Ubuntu Live” feature.

Ubuntu!!!

Unig: Haha, yeah I know the review’s a bit biased – that’s why I call it lame. As for the requirements I found these from Ubuntu.com which says – Ubuntu is available for PC, 64-Bit and Mac architectures. At least 256 MB of RAM is required to run the desktop install CD. Install requires at least 4 GB of disk space. Not sure bout the processor speed though.

Yes, I forgot to mention that those who wished to install Ubuntu must know what they are doing, i.e know how to preserve the Windows files.

Pretty old article to comment but I have to update visitors who read comments…

I’m not using Ubuntu as my second OS. In fact, I’m using it as my primary OS. I only use windows (which is installed in virtualbox in my Ubuntu) for my VB6 stuff and some windows clients issue. Beside that, I don’t touch windows at all anymore.

Ubuntu have been my primary OS since Gutsy Gibbon 7.10. And now, Ubuntu is ready for end users. Don’t be afraid to try it!! You’ll love it!!